Advocacy

Marijuana

The national discussion on the legal status of marijuana has been a hot-button issue since Colorado became the first state to legalize its recreational use and retail manufacturing and sale in 2012. Since then, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, California, Nevada, Maine, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C. have also legalized recreational cannabis use for adults. Since 1996, 29 states and Washington, D.C. have legalized cannabis for non-FDA-approved medicinal uses for a variety of conditions and another 13 states have cannabidiol (CBD)-specific medical marijuana laws that provide affirmative defense for patients who use low-THC, high-CBD cannabis extracts for specific conditions. As more and more states move to legalize marijuana and other cannabis products for either medicinal or recreational use, and as Congress considers bills intended to facilitate research into the potential therapeutic effects of marijuana, ASAM is taking the following actions:

Advocating for public health and safety measures to accompany any changes in marijuana availability,

Supporting decriminalization of marijuana, and

Advocating for increased access to addiction treatment.

Legislation

ASAM has created the below mapping tool to detail each state's law on legalization, medical marijuana and decriminalization. It also provides information on the specific states that are actively working to reform their laws, which is important for ASAM State Chapter organizations to monitor.